Six victims have died in Edo camp, says ex-NMA chair

Six of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in a camp in Edo State have died, a former chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Philip Ugbodagha, said yesterday.

Ugboadagha said the deceased were in Ekperi camp.

The ex-NMA boss said government cannot carry alone the burden.

He said: “Certainly, government alone cannot do it and we recognise that the bureaucracy associated with government activities is beginning to show in health status of victims of flood and, therefore, health support initiatives in conjunction with Nigeria Medical Association, Edo North zone decided to offer free medical services. We expect that if we get needed support, we can extend it to all the camps. When we visited Ekperi camp for example, we discovered that six persons have died in that camp and six children have been delivered since they moved into the camp and as at the time we visited, not one of those kids has had any form of vaccination or immunisation.”

Also, IDPs in camps in Edo State are complaining of inadequate supply of food and other relief materials.

The victims, who accused government officials of diverting the materials meant for them, said many of their children are now malnourished.

An IDP, who identified himself as Malam Oseni, said: “Just take a look at this camp here in Fugar. We are so overcrowded in this camp with no proper hygiene. Most of our children have taken ill with symptoms of runny stomach. Some of them have been taken to hospital on admission.

“I hear that this is also happening in other camps, but my question now is that what has happened to the money that the Comrade Governor released to this committee?”

The Chairman, Committee on Relief for Displaced Persons, Hadjia Mamunetu Momodu, said government was taking steps to alleviate their plight.

She told The Nation at Etsako Central Skills Acquisition Centre in Fugar:

“I do know that the state government has provided adequate drugs to be given to the victims. However, like the commissioner said, I do know that a couple of time they have sent medical personnel and all that and like I have always said, we want to appeal to the local government affected, they should also bring in their doctors, get helping hands to join what the state government has provided so that we get the best out of this situation.”

On alleged inadequate supply of relief materials, she said: “But you know, even in a family, it is difficult for you to say you can satisfy everybody 100 per cent. But people should know that in a situation like this, you don’t expect the same conditions you have when you are in your private houses. I have seen a couple of them, when you give them things; as soon as you turn back suddenly, they start to complain. I have told them ‘don’t use this situation to raise false alarm’. And those people that make noise a lot are the people that are not really affected. Some of them just take the advantage that the camp is within our area, they just go there and they are the ones raising issues that are not on ground.”

The Special Assistant to the President on Social Development and Special Duties, Mrs. Sarah Pane, has said the country may not meet its food sufficiency target in rice production.

She blamed this on the flooding being experienced in parts of the country.

The presidential aide spoke yesterday at the opening of the Regional Dialogue on Renewable Energy Technology for Improved Agricultural Productivity and Sustainable Development in Abuja.

Mrs. Pane said: “Right now, I cannot say the extent but thank God this year, the harvest was much, especially rice. We had expected that we want to be able to achieve one milestone. I think that really in terms of yearly production, the quantity will not come below what we produced in previous years only that the target we wanted to achieve may not be achieved because some have been destroyed but the level of agriculture has practically improved this year.”